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"Songs and Sweets" (Muse) There was already a performer at what was probably the prime busking location when Annallee started looking he next morning. She'd left before breakfast so neither Pico nor Alberto was with her. "Searching through the Sadness and the Screams, On the verge of Madness and the Dreams, I chance upon a Stranger in the night." The musician who had the corner wasn't the best for busking either. Instead of coaxing a few potch from the crowd, Annallee got the feeling he and his violin were scaring those nearby. "I tell him of a Promise never broken,
Annallee shivered. The man certainly had the haunting voice to go with his song, the look too. A black-clad madman, maybe. Just a small step better than sappy love ballads. "He stands, unblinking, till I meet his gaze... Red eyes glowing in the thickening haze, Until I stand transfixed within the gleam." The song brought to mind a nightmare Annallee had had for nearly a year after her parents died. Of the mysterious something that had killed them, hunting her down as well. That shapeless shadow that haunted her dreams. "Conscious, but bereft of any power, I wait upon Death's final hour. And in the end, no one hears my scream." From the expressions of others in the crowd, it had brought to mind their own childhood demons as well. That might even be the intent of the song. The minstrel quietly put away his violin, took a bow, and walked away. Annallee recovered from the thought of her old nightmare and realized that the best busking spot around was no longer taken! She took it quickly before any other performer did, and set up. She started off with a cheerful, fast paced song. Many people creeped out by the previous song rewarded her well for cheering them up with an impressive amount of potch. Soon after Annallee started singing, Muimumui got used to the crowd enough to climb down from Annallee's pack. He played with some of the children in the crowd and had a good time all around. The people who saw him assumed he was simply a very well trained curiosity. That morning Muimumui certainly earned his keep. At around noon, when Annallee stopped and went looking for a food stand for lunch, she still had not seen Pico or Alberto. It was a big city, but surely it wouldn't be too difficult to find her. Of course, they might not have looked. It was possible that they'd had other things to do and hadn't been able to tell her so because she left so early. Annallee decided that had to be it and went exploring the city on her own. * * * The item shop was one of the places Annallee actually browsed through that was inside its own building. Usually there was only a basic, uniform selection of items in any shop not a street stand, but in Annallee's experience there was always a chance of finding a treasure. The shopkeeper seemed distracted, mumbling to himself the word 'Atreides' over and over. Annallee purchased a small cloth bundle containing six dosages of medicine, since it was always best to have a supply before they really needed it. Just before leaving, Muimumui made some noise and pointed at the bag of candied chestnuts on the counter. Annallee sighed. He was practically developing an addiction to those things, like the chipmunk equivalent to chocolate. She bought one small bag and left quickly before he could get her to buy more. Maybe she'd just avoid the item shop while Muimumui was with her.
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